1 July 2019 Arco Idaho to Missoula Montana

The drive from Arco to Missoula on the Salmon River Scenic Byway (US93) is beautiful! The route takes you between two beautiful mountain ranges along the course of the Salmon River for the first half. We had one hard climb, through Lost Trails Pass, right at the Idaho and Montana line, that the truck did just fine on. We have learned that if we don’t try to hold the speed limit and accept climbing at a lower speed, the truck does not get as hot. At the top of the pass was a rest stop so we decided to stop there for lunch. There is also a ski resort, Lost Trails Ski Resort, that David had not heard of before. It, of course, was closed for the season. Coming down the pass, you drop into another valley between mountain ranges.

We are staying a Jim and Mary’s RV Park ($42 per night with GSC) just out side Missoula Montana. It’s a beautiful RV park with mature trees, spacious sites and lots of beautiful landscaping. The owners are gardeners and they show it with lots of flowers and landscapes through out the park. The site was gravel, but fairly level. Full utilities, good water pressure, strong and fast WiFi, local cable TV. The staff was very nice and they bring in local musicians every Wednesday.

Wanderer in Jim and Mary's RV Park

Some of the landscaping in Jim and Mary's RV Park

When we were planning this portion of our summer itinerary, we decided to stay here for ten days for a number of reasons. First we figured we could use a break from the constant hustle and bustle of visiting parks. Second, we wanted to hold up for the fourth of July weekend away from the national parks, figuring they would be packed (as it was we could not find an RV site near Glacier over the holiday weekend). Last, we thought it might be a needed time for maintenance and repairs. On that last point we were more right than we expected. The truck needs new tires (before we hit the west coast with their higher costs of tires and tire disposal fees), and coming out of West Yellowstone, we got hit by a couple of rocks from passing trucks and now need to replace the windshield due to cracks. There were some things we needed to do to the Wanderer as well. We are expecting to receive a new window for the Wanderer from New Horizons, as well as some other parts,  while we are here. We also had a number of mail order shipments sent here as well to stock up. What we did not expect was how much we needed to be by a major city to do some shopping and take care of personal stuff (David’s hair was looking like a wild man’s) after being out in the boonies for so long.  One of the major purchases was a new grill. We have run into 5-6 RV parks in the last three months that do not allow charcoal grills. Seems idiots pour their hot coals into the dumpsters and ignite trash fire. So we researched propane grills and bought a Colman Roadtrip 225 propane stove. We used it for the first time on the fourth of July for hamburgers and hot dogs. It works pretty well. But we do miss that wood smoke flavor. We will be here till the tenth and then head for Glacier National Park.